Warriors, Rise of the Forbidden, Ancestors
by Fenstrider
Summary: This is the first book out of the series: Warriors, Rise of the Forbidden. it's called Ancestors. it takes place at the time around the beginning of Sunrise. There is no parent conflict squirrel and bramble . I hope you enjoy the story of FireClan!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Moonlight streamed over the horizon, creating a blanket of light over the forest below. It was almost midnight, and the stars shown bright with anticipation of the coming day. Birds were silent. The crickets did not chirp in there melodious tune. It was almost like the passing forest was mourning, the wind groaning in anguish. Few clouds covered the length of the starry sky, making plenty of light to guide the treading cats below.

Under the line of pine trees and through the walls of bracken walked many cats soundlessly through the night. They made no noise, for thy were born with the gift of silence. The leader of the cats drifted effortlessly onward through the eerie forest as the cats behind her followed. They were on a journey, one that seemed to have no end through the eternal landscapes. But they traveled onward, knowing that one day they would find what they have been looking for. Though the journey had lasted generations before even the oldest of cats remembered, they still continued. Nothing could stop them.

Near the end of the group ran a small, young cat. She guided the elder beside her, reassuring him with soundless nods and looks. The young cat knew that when her leader was in a trance, following the paws of her ancestors to their ultimate goal, that no one should speak. To disturb the leader would set them all back many paw steps in there almost never ending travels. It was strange, being so quiet, for the young cat was used to the squabbling of the kits, the gossip of the queens, the grumpy elders and their stories, and the wise words of her leader and medicine cat. She wised more than anything that the night be over, for fatigue started to creep up her limbs, and tire taking her eyes and mind. She wondered why her leader had to go into her trance at such a late hour.

For many minutes they walked, until the leader suddenly halted. The young she-cat looked feverishly to her leader, wondering if the trance had stopped. The elder beside her looked hopeful as well, surely wanting to rest for the night. The leader held her head downward, and it seemed that she was trying to listen to a message, maybe from her ancestors. The medicine cat quietly walked up to the leader's side and touched her tail to her shoulder. A few seconds later, the leader let out a yowl of pain.

"Lightstar?" The medicine cat spoke with worry deep in her tone. The leader turned her gaze to the wise cat beside her, sadness filling her vision.

"Our ancestors... they..." Lightstar spoke softly, choking out each word, "they have left us.... They say that we must guide ourselves... that we must find... them...." Suddenly, the quiet group behind Lightstar broke into a mass of yowling, to confusing to make out any words. The young she-cat stepped backward, almost knocked back by the sudden volume of noise erupting around her. The deputy quickly stepped in to the fray, speaking for the leader while she sat with strange emotions filling her eyes.

"Please! Everyone! Calm down! Our ancestors could not have completely left us! Have hope!" The deputy flicked his tail at the crowd of cats, trying to settle them down from the chaos. He turned to the medicine cat, but she was busy talking to leader, but the young she-cat could not hear their words, for they were too quiet."We must hav-"

"Wait...." Lightstar's head rose, and she seemed to be back in her trance. She started to tread onward toward the dark pine forest, disappearing through the trees. Every cat was silenced by her sudden departure. The deputy blinked wide eyed at the direction that his leader had just left. For many moments no cat moved, until the medicine cat spoke up.

"Come! We must follow our leader! Come!" the medicine cat followed the path her leader took into the forest. The deputy immediately trailed after her, and flicked his tail at the cats behind him. The crowd looked from one another, and decided to follow their deputy. The young she-cat moved with the crowd, still supporting the elder beside her. He sniffed at her, breaking off from the young cat.

"I don't always need help, young one. I was a warrior once!" He nodded at her and dashed off into the large group of cats. The young she-cat stifled a laugh. Elders could be so grumpy sometimes. Done with her humor, the young cat ran into the forest after her group.

It was dark for a few moments, the bramble and bracken looming over the young she-cat. Everyone was soundless, not meowing a single word. But soon the moonlight broke over the cats once more, turning their fur into a silver sheen. The young she-cat realized the ground was sloping downward, and she walked to the tip of the hill. As she looked down to expect another endless landscape of pine, she saw something different. Something beautiful.

Before her was almost an entire world, at first a pine forest stretched across the hill, but then stopped to reveal a river filled area. Soon the rivers smoothed out to a grassy moor. From there it broke off into a bigger forest, a bare, leafless forest, one that would feel like home during the warm air of greenleaf. If the young she-cat squinted hard enough, she could spot a tiny hollow beneath the snowy cover. All of it was so different, so new, so fresh. It was so much to take in. The young she-cat had never seen something so amazing and been so awestruck before in her life. And in the middle of it all sat a huge lake reflecting starlight of it's gentle surface.

Lightstar grinned, and purred so loud that the young she-cat could hear it a couple of tail-lengths away. She stuck a paw high in the air, speaking with a firm, yet joyful voice. "Our ancestors have not left us to die! We have found what so many generations of our Clan have searched for!"

Every cat meowed and purred in success, even the young she-cat who was so surprised that she could hardly speak. Lightstar yowled in victory, brushing her fire like tail in the air. She turned to the crowd before her, meowing in a low, powerful voice. "FireClan! We have found what we sought for so long! Now we shall get our respect, our territory, and our revenge!"

And somewhere in the night, a lone bird crowed....


	2. Rock

**Chapter 1**

"StarClan! Where are you?"

Dark shapes surrounded Jayfeather in the shrouded haze. The forest around him was dark, hardly visible against the think fog that hung in the air. Movement flitted about Jayfeather's vision, which was no longer an eternal darkness. From this the medicine cat knew that this was not reality, but his own dream. Though this time, it seemed to be under StarClan's domain.

Jayfeather was starting to get irritated by the hidden StarClan warriors. His ancestors rarely revealed themselves in his dreams, and when one came out to speak, their messages were always encrypted with riddles and rhyme. Jayfeather took a step forward, trying to follow the starry warriors as they danced beneath the misty veil. Though as he tried to near them, the StarClan cats only moved farther from his reach. Quite frustrated now, Jayfeather yowled out in an annoyed tone.

"Alright StarClan! You better show yourselves!" The medicine cat yowled into the shroud, though no starry warrior appeared, Jayfeather started to claw the ground beneath him, frustrated at his cat ancestors. Just about to give up, Jayfeather started to turn his back, but a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Jayfeather...." A familiar voice sounded behind Jayfeather, one that he had heard many times before in his dreams. He swiveled around to face Bluestar, the leader of ThunderClan many moons before his time. Her blue fur shined with the soft light of stars, and her paws barely touched the earth below her. Jayfeather was silent; somehow he was always awed by the she-cat's appearance. Her eyes looked deep with so many emotions; worry, fear, anger, and so many more. She lifted her head to the medicine cat, speaking in a low, almost indistinguishable.

"The old ones are coming. The banished have returned. The three shall awaken, and will find the rightful place of fire." Bluestar spoke ominously to Jayfeather, her gaze lowering to almost a glower. "They are coming Jayfeather. Beware...." Suddenly Bluestar's shape shimmered, slowly turning to a starry mist. The ground beneath Jayfeather started to dim, transforming to an abyss of darkness.

"Wait! Bluestar!" But she was gone, as well as the forest and all of StarClan. The shadow engulfed Jayfeather, dropping him into nothingness.

......

"Jayfeather! Jayfeather wake up!" Jayfeather opened his eyes to the sight of blackness. He could hear Leafpool shouting his name. Jayfeather slowly rose from his moss bedding, realizing that he was once more blind. He could feel a slight anger radiating of Leafpool, and he suddenly took in the scent of juniper berries. He could feel the sticky, smashed berries on his paw.

"Oh, just look at that! You must of ruined those juniper buries while you were thrashing in your sleep." Leafpool started to prod Jayfeather's sticky paw, taking some of the juniper berry with her. "you can lick it off, it wont kill you. By StarClan!" Leafpool seemed a little short tempered today. Jayfeather could sense Leafpool turn around toward the herb stores. Jayfeather got on all four paws, and shook off the moss stuck in his fur. He could feel his bedding had been scattered along most of his sleeping place.

And then, his dream came back him.

_**The old ones are coming...the rightful place of fire...what is that supposed to mean? **_Jayfeather started to ponder over the strange message the old ThunderClan leader had given him in his dream while he licked his sticky paw. Then he remembered the part about the three... could that be him, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf? That could explain why Bluestar would come to him out of all cats. And maybe Lionblaze and Hollyleaf had the dream as well. Jayfeather made up his mind that he would talk to both cats when he got the chance.

"Jayfeather! Are you all right?" Leafpool was concerned that Jayfeather seemed to be in a thinking trance, and she walked over to his side, nudging him with her nose.

"Huh... oh, I'm fine!" Jayfeather snapped back, realizing he wasn't paying attention.

"Oh, well OK." Leafpool was hardly taken back, for she was used to Jayfeather's harsh attitude by now. "I need you to gather some herbs for me." She paused, and Jayfeather imagined her looking down at his wet paw. "Some juniper berries, of course, a couple watermint leaves, cobweb, which I know might be hard to find during leaf-bare, and if it's possible, tansy. Sickness is always a precaution in cold times like this." Jayfeather heard Leafpool shuffle in the herbs, looking for any shortages. "Oh, right. Some lavender please. By the way, could you take someone with you?" Before Jayfeather could react, she added, "And no, not because of your blindness, but because we need as many herbs a possible, and more helpers would be useful."

Jayfeather grunted, and started to leave the medicine cat den, but Leafpool stopped him once more. "Get some fresh-kill before you go!"

"OK, OK, I got it." Jayfeather meowed back to Leafpool. Jayfeather ignored his mentor's worrying, and headed to the fresh-kill pile, which he could easily scent from where he was. As he crossed the ThunderClan camp, he could scent Brightheart and Cloudtail sitting together near the stone hollow. He could sense Brightheart change her attention to him as he passed her.

"Hi there, Jayfeather. How are you?" Brightheart meowed. Brightheart had always taken a lot of attention to Jayfeather, especially after she had him apprenticed to be a warrior so long ago. But his true path was the medicine cat's, and now he excepted it gladly.

"Fine." Jayfeather answered simply. He had more important things to do than stand around and have mild talks with his Clanmates. He nodded in her direction. Cloudtail didn't meow a words as he passed by the two warriors. As he treaded onward, he could sense many cats around him. From the nursery he could scent the warm smell of milk and kits with their mothers. He scented Millie and her three kits; Briarkit, Blossomkit, and Bumblekit.

"I'm going to be the best warrior in ThunderClan!" Blossomkit mewed to her siblings.

"No _I _am!" Briarkit argued.

"No way! I'm going to be the best! Even better than Lionblaze! Bumblekit meowed. Jayfeather heard Millie purr as he neared the nursery.

"Now, now kits. I'm sure you'll _all _be great warriors." Millie reassured her kits, and Jayfeather could sense a feeling of pride coming off of the she-cat. Then suddenly it hit Jayfeather.

_**I need to speak with Lionblaze! **_Jayfeather hurried past Millie and her kits. When he got close to the fresh-kill pile, he could scent Lionblaze and Hollyleaf mingled with the smell of mouse and blackbird. Perfect, both of them were together. As he got closer, he could make out a silent conversation between the two cats. Jayfeather didn't care, and he butted in between the two with urgency.

"Oh, hi Jayfeather. Whats with the hurry? The fresh kill isn't even that good. I mean, it's leaf-bare." Lionblaze was the first to speak. He was eating a mouse, which set off Jayfeather's hunger by the delicious scent. Food was scarce in leaf-bare, and Jayfeather was a little thinner than usual.

Picking up a mouse in the fresh-kill pile, Jayfeather began to talk between bites. "Listen, I need to talk to you both. It's very important, but I can't speak about it in the camp. Can you come with me to collect herbs?"

"Sure, we ca-" this time it was Hollyleaf, but she was cut off by the sound of Brambleclaw in the distance. He was calling out the morning patrols on the Highrock. "Listen, how about later? We have to patrol. Come on, Lionblaze!" Jayfeather heard Hollyleaf dash toward Brambleclaw's voice, and Lionblaze followed.

Jayfeather let out a long sigh. This was far more urgent than a morning patrol. It could be a new prophecy from StarClan. He slowly ate down his mouse until it was no more. Jayfeather could hardly wait. Herb collection usually took all morning, and Jayfeather was already restless. Frustration poured over him, making him angry. For a few moments he stared at the earth, though really he could see nothing but black, until he realized pouting would not help the situation. Jayfeather lifted himself up from the ground, and pushed along to find a worthy warrior to collect herbs with him.

As Jayfeather reached the Highrock, he realized that Brambleclaw was done ordering patrols. The deputy hopped down from the large ledge, and passed by Jayfeather. "Hello, Jayfeather."

"Hello." Jayfeather nodded. He scented the air around him, and he could find no fresh scent of Lionblaze and Hollyleaf. _**Fox-dung! **_Jayfeather's hopes were lost. They had both been chosen for a patrol. The medicine cat shook his head and continued onward, now deciding who he would take on his trip for herbs.

Jayfeather passed by the elders den, and he could hear Longtail and Mousefur sharing moon old stories together. He ignored the tow and kept his pace up until he scented Mousewhisker near him. The she-cat must of stayed in the camp. Jayfeather approached the young warrior, and he sensed surprise radiating off of her. Pushing away all of his persistent, clouding thoughts, Jayfeather tried to make his voice sound decent enough to convince Mousewhisker to come with him.

"Um, Mousewhisker? Can you come collect herbs with me? I need an extra paw to help with the load." Jayfeather waited for Mousewhisker's response, and he was surprised by her eagerness.

"Sure! Let's go!" Mousewhisker brushed past Jayfeather, and he followed her out of the ThunderClan camp. The two pushed through the tunnel that led through the screen of thorns, and into the forest. Mousewhisker stopped at the entrance, taking in all the scents of leaf-bare. Jayfeather waited for Mousewhisker to take in her fresh air, and then padded over to her side.

Alright, listen. We need Juniper berries, which have a strong, sweet scent..." Jayfeather explained to Mousewhisker what they needed to collect. Mousewhisker seemed intent on listening, and Jayfeather presumed that she knew what was needed.

Jayfeather decided it would be more efficient to start at the lake, for he knew there would be watermint along with many other herbs they would need. They followed the slope of the hill through the bare forest, only stopping for an occasional scent of herbs. Soon the dip of the earth rose gradually, until Mousewhisker came to a halt. Jayfeather sensed her stop, and heard the small waves of the great lake, and knew they had arrived.

"Hey, I think I smell watermint!" Mousewhisker exclaimed. Jayfeather checked the air. She was right. The musky scent of watermint was easily distinguishable from the slight, almost empty scents of leaf-bare. Mousewhisker bounded off in the direction of the watermint, and Jayfeather stayed close behind.

"Alright, be careful! Don't damage the leav-" Jayfeather was stopped in mid-sentence as he heard the sound of ripping. He could easily imagine Mousewhisker's clumsiness with herbs. The medicine cat let out a sigh of annoyance.

"Oh! I'm sorry Jayfeather! I guess you heard... really I'm sorry!" Mousewhisker pleaded, wanting forgiveness. Jayfeather sensed strong regret in Mousewhisker.

"Mouse-brain! Let me show how to remove herbs without shredding them to pieces." Jayfeather reached into the small clump of watermint, carefully demonstrating how to remove the roots from the cold earth. Jayfeather could tell she was paying attention, for she did not stir from her stiff pose. Maybe she was staring at something at the distance. He couldn't tell. It annoyed Jayfeather that he was blind sometimes. The medicine cat finished his procedure, and he decided to test Mousewhisker.

"Were you paying attention?" Jayfeather questioned. He added a skeptical tone to his voice.

"Of course!" Mousewhisker meowed back, and she reached into the clump of watermint. "Watch... er... I mean...."

"Just get on with it!" Jayfeather snapped, and the young warrior snapped back into action. Jayfeather heard her cautiously remove the watermint from the earth. Jayfeather realized she was in fact listening. "Well, you seem OK, so I'm going to look farther down shore." Jayfeather dashed farther down the lake line, until he scented more watermint.

Then it hit him. _**The stick! Maybe Rock can help me! **_Jayfeather was relieved that there was another cat he could speak to. He wouldn't have to wait all day! But, of course, he would have to get Mousewhisker out of the way first. He bounded back to the busy she-cat, who was looking for more herbs. She radiated a lot of surprise once more as Jayfeather approached her. It was like he hadn't been here before, and he suddenly appeared at the lake shore beside her. Jayfeather ignored it. He had to speak to Rock.

"Yes, Jayfeather?" Mousewhisker asked.

"Listen, it's leaf-bare, so we need as many herbs as possible. Can you search the forest while I stay down here? I'll meet you at the Sky Oak later." Jayfeather heard himself, and he sounded convincing enough for his own liking.

"Uh... sure." Mousewhisker didn't say much, and Jayfeather felt a rush of wind as she bounded up the slope into the ThunderClan forest.

Surprised by how quickly Mousewhisker left, Jayfeather checked the air many times to assure that she was gone. It seemed so. Jayfeather turned around and followed the shoreline by the oozing, cold mud underneath his paws. Soon he changed direction until he reached the boulder that held his precious treasure. He dug around in the dry reeds until he felt his smooth stick under his grasp. Jayfeather pulled his stick away from the boulder using his teeth, and dropped it down onto the ground. He ran is paw over the unusually flawless surface, until he felt the marks that represented the lives of different cats. He passed over the last cluster of marks, the only one that did not have a mark scratched through the middle. That brought back many memories to Jayfeather as he remembered the tunnel and the flood.

Jayfeather sat down with the stick between his paws, and concentrated on it's smooth feeling. For many moments Jayfeather sat, until the darkness around him started to melt away into the scene of a cave. Jayfeather sat up, looking to find Rock sitting a couple of tail-lengths ahead of him. His muscular body void of fur and bulging blind eyes was a familiar sight to Jayfeather. Now that he was here, he would find out the meaning of his dream.

"Rock! Please, you must tell me, who or what are the 'old ones'?" Jayfeather asked hopefully. Rock's sightless eyes moved to Jayfeather as he heard his pleading voice.

"They are nothing to me." Rock meowed seriously. "You must deal with your own faults."

Jayfeather did not speak. His own faults? What had Jayfeather done to these 'old ones'? Suddenly the image of Rock and the rest of the cave started shimmer in an odd light. The old cat started slip away from Jayfeather's vision, leaving his question unanswered. Jayfeather tried to protest, but no noise came out from his mouth. Soon the dry cave ground disappeared beneath Jayfeather to be replaced by the wet lake shore mud.

Jayfeather was alone once more.

The medicine cat let out a yowl of frustration. Rock was blaming this on him? Jayfeather had no idea of what was even going on. Who were the 'old ones'? What did they want? Jayfeather sat silently on the ground for many moments, pondering over the strange encounter.


End file.
